I just spent bits and pieces of a whole weekend working and it was a blast. Since this is the high profile 20/20 Expo East issue it should center on a show agenda. But that show is basically a weekend gig as well so there’s tremendous crossover to the double-day-off job jaunt fueling this column.

It all started with the terrific “Get Some Sun” feature in this issue. Complementing the usual pictures for the Behind-the-Seens feature on 2020mag.com, I decided to record some of the sunwear using the Instagram iPhone app. With all sorts of funky filters, Instagram can turn any snapshot into a relative work of art(sy). Some of the snaps of particular styles from Matsuda and Valentino came out kinda keen. We immediately posted these images on 2020mag’s Twitter and Facebook pages, and I also loaded them up on my personal social media pages.

The response was astonishing, rapid and viral. Dispensers commented. Sales reps were rabid with enthusiasm. Friends started hitting “like” and inquiring when, where and how they could get the eyewear. It never stopped. By Sunday I was both personally and professionally detailing the specific specs, eyewear in general and my choice of career as an opti-editor.

Concurrent to this fashion fable, a post concerning the possibility of online refractions based on an L&T story by contributing editor Barry Santini appeared on the 20/20&U blog Friday afternoon. By late Sunday the forum was bursting with well over 60 articulate and powerful responses from 20/20’s ECP readership. I had to monitor all of those responses but the quality was such that none warranted editing. This blog continues to generate interest and remains a staggering source of information that will soon be edited and reconfigured into a future 20/20 story.

My third source of weekend “work” shenanigans was rooted in stylish trend setting. The dynamic two-oh-two-oh duo of editors Patrisha Zabrycki and Christine Yeh accepted invites to the Lacoste runway show at NYC Fashion Week. The live event was supplemented by a special Lacoste Lounge lifestyle presentation hosted by Marchon. I was able to experience virtually every high point of both occurrences via the tweets and FB posts of PZ and CY. I was there babe, and loving every second.

And you know what? If YOU spied those Instagram photos and if YOU posted a comment on the 20/20&U blog, and if YOU followed the gals on 2020mag’s Twitter and FB, YOU were there too. Eye loved sharing the weekend with all of you. Wild!

James J. Spina
Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]